Another Deaged Eliot Story
by Zee-Zee Magee
Summary: Poor de-aged Eliot has to go to a tea party for the sake of a con. Poor Eliot. Poor, poor ELiot!


**A/N:** _And another one. I'm sorry but I really wanted to play with de-aged Eliot. Please don't hate me for wanting to see what I could do. Nate and Sophie torture must be involved, bwa ha ha ha! Look at all those cobwebs flittering away from this clearing of space. Hmmm… Enjoy!_

_I believe I have already made it quite clear in my other ones that no, unfortunately, I have absolutely no rights to Leverage at all. If I did, I would know what happens in the bloody season finale! B.T.W. (Spoilers) I read that Maggie's going to be in it! ;)_

Another De-aged Eliot Story:

Eliot was sitting at a table surrounded by girls with a scowl on his face. Ordinarily, Eliot would love being stuck at a table with girls in gorgeous gowns and dresses. Ordinarily, Eliot wouldn't be wearing that scowl but would instead have a predatory glint in his eyes. Ordinarily, Eliot wouldn't be a five year old boy stuck at a table with five year old girls. Yeah, that spell was not a very nice spell at the moment. They were pulling off a con and the only way to successfully pull it off was to use Eliot. Nate and Sophie had both argued for weeks on end about using Eliot in this particular con when he was trapped under the consequences of the spell that made him so young and vulnerable. Before, they had both been in agreement that Eliot would not be involved in any con until they found a way to remove the spell. That was until Trudy Perkins came along with her sad story of how she had been so violently wronged and robbed of her entire family. Hardison and Parker used their usual means to determine the best point of entry into destroying their mark and learned that it would be through a banquet that would lead to success. The problem: the banquet was for the mark's children which meant that the only way in was to use Eliot. Sophie screamed bloody murder when she discovered Nate went behind her back and signed Eliot up for gentleman lessons so they could get closer to the mark and hook her on their newest con. Nate merely dealt with the verbal and physical abuse in between bouts of explaining why he had to make it appear that he was a single father and interested in teaching his little boy how to be a man. Yeah, there were several eggs on the back of his skull but he had eventually succeeded in convincing the grifter that she could kill him if anything bad happened to Eliot during the con. The mastermind felt it was a very brilliant idea that he never explained to her that she would be there too considering she was posing as the secretary for their mark's partner in crime. If he had told her instead of just letting the scene play out, he'd be currently residing in a near-by morgue. The mastermind stared at the poor de-aged hitter with sympathy at the little tea party that was going on over in the corner. It took all of his man power not to smile at the way all of the girls were fussing over him with obvious crushes. Even as a child Eliot still managed to successfully charm the girls.

"Mr. Daniels, how would you go about solving this mystery?" the mark, Janet Darbies, asked with a predatory glint in her eyes.

"And what mystery would that be?" Nate demanded back with a polite smile as he internally cringed at the fact that he was the hottest commodity in town because he was single, a father taking good care of his only son, and completely alone.

"How someone as handsome as you could possibly still be single," Janet smiled simply with giggles coming around the table at the statement.

"Before you say anything bad," Parker interrupted his thoughts with an obvious laugh, "Please, remember that it is your fault you are in this situation."

"I'm very picky I suppose," Nate grinned at the comment as he tried to keep as little eye contact with the grifter across the table from him as possible, "and please, call me Phil."

"I don't think you're picky," Janet continued on seductively to the annoyance of the grifter and mastermind, "I think you're just scared of what could be out there, Phil."

"Yeah, maybe," Nate laughed guiltily as he noticed the way their mark was hitting on him with the grifter conveniently sitting right beside her and in full view of the show.

"Just tell her you're in a relationship," Hardison relayed with a groan at the way the woman was acting around their mastermind, "You don't have to be single, man."

"Sophie said he had to be available so he can keep the mark's focus on him instead of on Sophie for the con to work," Parker reported back with confusion in her tone, "That's why Eliot's there too."

"I want to go home," a small voice grumbled from beside the mastermind at the fabulous moment when it looked like the mark was about to ask something unprofessional.

"What's that, little buddy?" Nate immediately asked of the young boy who was right beside his chair in relief.

"I want to go home," Eliot demanded again with death glinting in his eyes towards the mark who had been hitting on the mastermind all day.

"Not just yet buddy," Nate sighed at the change of plans, "We have to eat dinner first."

"I want to go home, right now," Eliot whined pressingly with a soft pout forming on his toddlerized lips.

"Aren't you hungry little one?" the mark demanded of the hitter with amusement, "They haven't even served dinner yet! I hear the chef is going to make chicken fingers tonight!"

"I want to go home," Eliot grumbled as he shot another glare in the mark's direction, "I don't want chicken fingas."

"We're still working on his er's," Nate reported with a shameful smile although inside he was doing back flips at the fact that at the moment he wasn't being hit on by the mark with the grifter right there watching.

"Excuse me, young sir," Sophie politely smiled as she addressed Eliot with purpose, "Are you sure you don't want to stay here and eat? I hear the ladies at your table are in an uproar over you."

"I don't like tea parties," Eliot admitted with a guilty look in the grifter's direction, "and girls have cooties!"

"Come on, buddy," Nate reluctantly begged of the little boy in sympathy of everything that was happening, "Can't we stay just a little bit longer?"

"But I want to go home now," Eliot complained as he avoided eye contact with the grifter and sent angry glares at the mark for a reason the mastermind couldn't fathom.

"But you're daddy wants to stay here with me so we can discuss a few things," the mark smiled flirtatiously at the mastermind before sending a pleading smile the hitter's way, "Don't you want him to be happy too?"

"How about we make a deal?" Nate proposed when it looked like the hitter was going to say something very bad to the mark he obviously didn't like.

"A deal?" Eliot questioned with those damn blue eyes of his bugging out innocently towards him before sending another round of daggers the mark's way.

_At least now I know how Sophie has been implementing her revenge for this_, Nate thought out bitterly at the big blue puppy eyes that were staring up at him again, "Why don't we wait until dinner arrives before we decide anything; that way I can get the food to go if you want to leave, and if you don't want to go we can just sit and enjoy our table guests. How does that sound?"

"Alright," Eliot grumbled softly as he bowed his little head in defeat.

"Hey," Nate internally glared at the grifter for her evil form of payback as he immediately lifted the hitter's head to speak eye to eye, "If you don't want to stay after that, then we'll talk. Okay, buddy?"

"Okay," Eliot smiled at the mastermind sweetly.

"If you're uncomfortable sitting with the girls we can always arrange to have you sitting with us, Johnny," Janet added on sweetly with her eyes carefully moving up and down the mastermind's profile.

"That sounds like a great idea," Nate smiled at the mark's perfect theory with an internal groan at the fact that he was going to have to deal with her eyes on him all night, "What do you think, buddy?"

"If I have to," Eliot agreed with daggers pointed at the mark yet again that night for a reason nobody could understand.

"Well go get your things and we'll have them bring up a chair for you," Sophie ordered as she started waving one of the waiters over and making arrangements.

"I think somebody's a little jealous," the mark whispered out to the table the moment the little boy had made his way to get his things as the grifter had commanded.

"Who?" Nate asked as he noticed the grifter stiffen a little at the comment.

"You're son, Phil," Janet explained with a wink, "I think he's jealous that you're getting all of the attention instead of him."

"Oh, I don't know," Nate laughed at that as he realized she was partially right on the jealousy card, "He's never acted this way before."

"He'll grow out of it," Janet promised as she politely touched the mastermind's hand, "Sharing is just one of those things we all have to learn how to do."

"Sharing," Sophie giggled uncomfortably at the hand on her mastermind amazingly still in character despite everything, "That's one way of putting it."

"Okay," Eliot announced as he sat himself on the chair with determination, "No more girls."

"Um," Nate smiled in embarrassment of the statement as he quickly made eye contact with the grifter to make certain she wouldn't interfere with Eliot's statement, "Yeah, buddy, no more girls."

"That's just adorable," Janet giggled at the interplay and placed her other hand on the mastermind's arm ever so delicately, "He seems to be thoroughly enthralled with you."

"And overly protective," Sophie warned the young hitter with a dazzling smile to hide the anger and jealousy flashing in her eyes.

"Yeah," Nate gulped nervously as he shot an apologetic glance the grifter's way.

"I can't remember, Phil," Janet continued clearly not even noticing the glares she was receiving from the five year old boy beside the man she was talking to, "Are you lonely?"

Nate just laughed nervously at the gesture and quickly decided to take a drink from his champagne glass to avoid answering the question. He was really starting to regret the fact that he didn't listen to Sophie when he should have. Now they both were paying the price because there isn't a nice way of saying I don't have a girlfriend but I'm sleeping with my best friend and we go out on dinners a lot and I'm pretty sure she's conning me into a relationship but I'm kind of okay with that. Of course, he forgot about the little genius beside him.

"Daddy," Eliot stressed out the word as much as possible with a hint of danger in his voice, "Can we invite Sopee ova to play tonight?"

The glass in the mastermind's hand almost slipped out and crashed onto the floor at the little outburst. It was pure genius and so perfectly unexpected that he didn't know what to do. Eliot clearly knew how to work his magic because he decided to continue with an excited smile on his face.

"Yeah, daddy, do you think Sopee could come ova?" Eliot continued on with a devilish glint in his eyes, "I love Sopee."

"Um," Nate coughed out as he tried to get a read on the play, "You want Sophie to come over tonight, buddy?"

"yeah," Eliot agreed with a curt nod of excitement at the idea of it, "Can she? Pweeze!"

"Um," Janet nervously stared at the little boy beside the mastermind, "Who's Sophie?"

"She's only the bestest person eva!" Eliot exclaimed with affection and adoration in his tone, "She's from Great Britain and she likes to play games and tell funny stories and…."

"EL-Jonathan," Nate corrected himself out of flustered bewilderment, "Johnny, I don't think Sophie wants to come over tonight!"

"Why not?" Eliot questioned with a crestfallen face, "She's your bestest friend eva! She loves me! I promise to be real good!"

"Is Sophie your girlfriend, Phil?" Janet demanded in a very brisk voice as her hands immediately retreated away from the worried mastermind.

"Um…" Nate stuttered on the question only to have the de-aged hitter save him once again.

"No," Eliot giggled at the woman as if she were an alien, "She and Daddy work togetha all the time! She also babysits me when Daddy's working late! She's a princess and Daddy's gonna marry her one day!"

"I am?" Nate demanded in shock of the statement as he noticed the grifter coyly hide a few giggles at the hitter's plan.

"Uh-huh," Eliot nodded completely over invested in his little con now, "I heard you say so in your sleep last night when I had my bad dream!"

"I did?" Nate asked with raised brows as he distinctly remembered that the hitter didn't have any bad dreams last night.

"Uh-huh," Eliot agreed with a wide smirk on his lips, "She's beautiful, and nice, and pretty, and happy, and funny, and pretty, and gorgeous! And you aren't her so you can't have my daddy! He's Sopee's, you big meanie!"

"Jonathan," Nate shouted at the young man right on cue," That's not nice! Apologize to the nice woman right now!"

"No!" Eliot grunted as he stuck his tongue out at her for good measure, "I don't want to!"

"Apologize right now!" Nate ordered again with narrowed eyes as he tried not to look in the direction of the grifter who was struggling to suppress her laughter at the situation.

"I don't want to!" Eliot explained as he continued to shoot daggers at the woman sitting beside their grifter.

"That's it," Nate announced in a very fatherly tone, "We're leaving. I'm so sorry for my son's behavior, Janet. I hope you can forgive him."

"It's alright," Janet laughed off with hurt obvious in her posture and face, "Maybe next time we can leave the little gentleman alone and get better acquainted."

"He doesn't like you," Eliot hissed at the woman with narrowed eyes as he allowed Nate to pull him up so they could leave the banquet in a respectable fashion.

The con was then successfully completed when Sophie finally gloated about the fact that Parker and Hardison corrupted the computer software system and sent their mark to prison for a very long time. They all then got to enjoy the benefits of watching their victim being reunited with her family again. Nate and Eliot were nervously waiting upstairs in the office when they noticed that Parker and Hardison had finally left the room. The grifter then walked in with a comforting smile and placed her gaze on both remaining members of the team in expectation.

"She liked Nate,"/"I didn't know what to do," Eliot and Nate grumbled out at the same time with guilt in their every expression.

"So you both concocted a plan where Nate's character had a friend named Sophie from Great Britain who he was secretly in love with and Eliot secretly believed should have been his mother, Nate's character's wife, all along," Sophie agreed with that poker face of hers firmly in place.

"I saved the mark's life," Eliot grumbled into his collar as he stared at his shoes.

"I was the distraction," Nate sighed at the news.

"And you chose my name because?" Sophie pressed little Eliot with a knowing grin.

"The truf is betta than a lie sometimes," Eliot innocently replied as he raised his blue eyes in a puppy dog fashion and folded his hands behind his back for good measure.

"And I just rolled with it," Nate glared at the little boy beside him because he knew exactly which one of them was going to get out of this scott free after pulling that damn move!

"This is why we do not let Eliot do any of the cons, Nate," Sophie pointed out with a wicked grin.

"I's a big boy," Eliot shouted out in disdain, "I can still con bad guys!"

"Eliot," Sophie shushed the little boy with that look that all women must have in their arsenal specifically for situations like this.

"Sorry, Sopee," Eliot sighed as he lightly hugged her leg in shame for full effect.

"And you, Mr. Ford," Sophie addressed the mastermind expectantly.

"Fine," Nate sighed in defeat of the better player currently holding onto his grifter for dear life, "I won't use Eliot in a con anymore until we find a way of getting him back to adult size!"

"That's all I ask," Sophie grinned at her victory.

"You're spose to say sorry, Nate," Eliot rolled his eyes at the pair, "It always works when you want to get out of twable."

"Well," Sophie smiled at the hitter's bright idea, "What do you say, Nate?"

"Sorry, Sopee," Nate mimicked the five year old to a T and even bugged out his eyes the exact way to get giggles out of the boy clinging to the grifter's leg.

"That's funny," Eliot giggled as he hugged the grifter's leg even closer for support from the fit of laughter he was forced to go through.

"Boys," Sophie sighed affectionately as she raised the little one glued to her hip into her arms, "It's time for bed, Eliot. You may be too old for a bed time but you're little body isn't."

"But I want to stay up and watch the game," Eliot complained right on cue as he rubbed his eyes in hopes of rubbing the sleepiness away.

"maybe later, Eliot," Nate promised with a roll of his eyes at the way the grifter was mothering the de-aged hitter without even realizing it.

"Is Sopee staying over?" Eliot asked expectantly.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Eliot," Sophie shook her head at the little boy's thoughts.

"Pweeze!" Eliot begged with those puppy eyes back in play, "You can stay in my room!"

"And why is it so crucial to have Sophie over tonight?" Nate demanded with a smirk.

"cuz you love her," Eliot replied cheekily as he smiled a bright smile and hugged the grifter close for effect, "So she should stay with us."

"That's very sweet, Eliot," Sophie smiled at the little boy in her arms very affectionately, "but I have to go stay at my home."

"Daddy," Eliot stared at Nate with accusing eyes, "Could you ask mommy to stay fo'eva?"

"Um…" Nate stumbled over his own words as thoughts of the last time he had been called daddy so effortlessly shot through his mind, "Maybe later, squirt."

"Pweeze," Eliot pleaded as his sleepy eyes started to shut of their own accord this time, "Just this once?"

"We'll think about it, sweetie," Sophie mumbled into the little boy's ear as she started preparing him for bed, "It's bedtime now."

"Okay, mommy," Eliot agreed as he sleepily got his bedclothes on, "Do I get a sto'y?"

"Of course you do," Sophie mused before the mastermind could even say anything on the subject, "But we have to tuck you in first."

"Otay," Eliot agreed as he clambered right on into bed, "White Night vasus Red Queen, pweeze!"

"Now pose it as a question," Sophie ordered with a white smile flashing at the hitter's childish speech as he grew more tired with each breath.

"May I pweeze hear a sto'y of the White Knight and his eternal chase after the Red Queen?" Eliot obeyed immediately with a smile directed at the grifter as he snuggled under the covers and politely waited for her to tuck him in for the night.

"Yes, you may," Sophie giggled at the little boy as she started thinking of something suitable for his ears, "Have I ever told you about the time when the Red Queen outran the White Knight by pretending to have twisted her ankle?"

"No," Eliot squealed at the question, "What happened?"

"Well," Sophie began as she started to recount a story from the past, "She was conning this really rich man who had the self portrait of Vincent Van Gogh…"

"And she wanted it because it was a lot of money," Eliot cheered as he closed his sleepy lids to get a better visual of the story in his head.

"Yes, she did," Sophie agreed with a smile as she continued to regale the tale of long ago, "and the White Knight was there waiting for her long before she was able to…"

"Grr," Eliot growled out in his sleep as everything else that came out of his mouth began to sound like a puppy cuddling close to its mother for the night.

"And he's out," Sophie smiled at the cute ball of brown hair that stated where the hitter's head actually was located under the dozens of covers.

"busy day," Nate suggested when he remembered how to talk after witnessing such a wonderful miracle right under his own roof.

"Wouldn't have been so busy if you hadn't put him in such a dangerous situation," Sophie retorted in a very calm voice.

"He's got you wrapped around his pinky finger, doesn't he?" Nate asked as he took note again of the way the grifter was treating the little man who had been aged backwards.

"Not as much as he does you," Sophie countered with a pout his way.

"You should teach him how to do that next," Nate whispered as the two quietly left the sleeping five year old to his dreams, "Then I'll never get to do anything I want."

"Keep complaining," Sophie ordered wisely as she gathered up her things to leave, "I know you love it."

"He has a point you know," Nate chimed in when the grifter was almost completely out the door.

"About what?" Sophie asked in confusion with concern in her eyes.

"Kids," Nate grumbled on way off task all of a sudden, "They say the darnest things don't they?"

"Nate, what are you on about?" Sophie demanded in search of a con.

"You should stay," Nate proposed awkwardly, "We would both like it if you stayed."

"Nate, you know I can't," Sophie mumbled as she darted her eyes over to Eliot with fear in them, "What if something happens?"

"He asks for you," Nate pointed out stubbornly, "Every time he wakes up in the middle of the night, it isn't me he asks for. He's always asked for Sophie first, until recently."

"Who has he been asking for recently?" Sophie demanded in shock.

"He's been asking for mommy," Nate admitted out with a small smile forcing its way on his lips, "He calls me daddy whenever he feels like it now."

"Is he really de-aging that much?" Sophie questioned with fear in her voice, "I thought they said he would be fine."

"They did," Nate explained with a sigh, "Sam and Dean did say he would be fine. They just said he might also fully delve into the age after a while. He's still Eliot, Soph. He's just mentally five."

"So he still remembers everything that's happened to him?" Sophie hissed in anger and frustration.

"Only at night," Nate agreed with sympathy towards the grifter, "I don't think his little mind can do that during the day."

"He's been calling us mommy and daddy?" Sophie asked in surprise.

"You haven't noticed?" Nate interrogated softly, "He's been doing it right in front of Hardison and Parker for the past two months."

"He has?" Sophie gasped as she thought back on the previous six months since this happened.

"You've responded to it every time," Nate chuckled at the grifter's confusion.

"Oh," Sophie sighed in shock of herself, "I didn't realize."

"Stay," Nate proposed softly.

"Why?" Sophie thought aloud at the offer.

"Why not?" Nate asked back with a small smirk of hope on his face.

"Is this just because Eliot asked you too?" Sophie posed in preparation for war.

"Would you stay if it was?" Nate posed back in hopes of getting an answer sooner.

"Not unless I get the truth," the grifter promised with a stern look.

"I want you to," Nate corrected slowly, "I'm asking you to."

"But why?" Sophie demanded again in hopes of a real answer for once, "Why do you want me to stay?"

"Cuz I love you," Nate admitted slowly, "that's why."

"Nate…" Sophie began to argue before she was blissfully interrupted with the mastermind's lips.

"Stay," Nate begged into her ear when they finally parted from their interesting kiss, "Please."

"Okay," Sophie agreed willingly with her breathing increasing at the knowledge of what she was doing, "I'll stay."

"Eliot's going to be very excited when he wakes up," Nate commented as he started pulling the grifter up the stairs to bed with him.

"Are you sure?" Sophie questioned in fear of everything that could happen if they go through with this.

"Positive," Nate confirmed with a smile as he pulled the grifter the rest of the way up the stairs, into his arms and then with him onto the bed.


End file.
